


Anniversarius

by sunshinesfreckles



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Bittersweet story, Coping with Death, Death, Gen, Reminiscing, bonding moment with the chocobros
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-30
Updated: 2017-11-30
Packaged: 2019-02-08 15:39:32
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,055
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12867711
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sunshinesfreckles/pseuds/sunshinesfreckles
Summary: It's already been a year since Noctis's passing. Prompto, Ignis, and Gladio spend it by visiting Noctis's grave and reminiscing about old times, because what better way to honor his memory than to dwell in their memories and take comfort in their companionship?





	Anniversarius

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this short fic for the 1st anniversary of Final Fantasy XV because I wanted to take my own glimpse of life for the Chocobros after Noctis passes away, and I'm not disappointed at all with the outcome. Enjoy!
> 
> *Side note, I researched Latin phrases for one year, or anniversary, for the title of this fic. So Anniversarius = Anniversary!

The sun shone dimly in the afternoon sky over Insomnia, shielded by clouds that were carelessly drifting by. After living in darkness for ten years, even the dimmest of light was considered a blessing to the people of Lucis. Everyone who now lived in Insomnia was taking efforts to rebuild this once broken and deserted land. They made a great deal of progress in the year since the darkness had been lifted, but they still had a long way to go. 

Prompto, Ignis, and Gladio had also taken part in the efforts to rebuild Insomnia to the prospering kingdom it once was. They worked in Noctis’s honor and tasked themselves to repair and protect the city and its people.

On this day, however, they all walked side by side with somber expressions on their faces. No amount of light in the sky could overshadow the emptiness that this day made them feel. It was this day one year ago when the eternal darkness from the Scourge had been lifted from the kingdom of Lucis.

One year since Noctis had passed away.

They made their way up the stairs of the palace together to reach Noctis’s final resting place at his throne. The throne chair had been replaced with statues as memorials for their former king Regis and for Noctis as well. The statues stood tall and regal in their places, imitating their stances of power they once displayed in life.

They approached the memorials and knelt down on one knee, hanging their heads and saluting in respect, although each one of them were on the verge of tears. They remained in that position silently for what seemed like an eternity until Gladio finally broke the silence. “I can’t believe it’s been an entire year already,” he remarked as he lifted his head to gaze at the statue of Noctis.

Ignis let out a deep breath in response. “Agreed..” He began to lift his head as well. “It seems like only yesterday we were traveling around the region in order to reach Altissia. We did gather some rather fond memories, if I do say so myself.”

Prompto let out a snicker and blinked away tears as he shifted himself into a sitting position. “Man, I kinda miss our high school days. Hitting up the arcade after school, sneaking off to catch a movie.” He sighed and rubbed his eyes to wipe away the tears that were still forming in his eyes. “Those were the good days. I’d give anything to go back to that.”

“Honestly, so would I,” Gladio responded as he started to stand up. “You two caused trouble for us sometimes, but I wouldn’t have had it any other way.”

A smile started to form on Ignis’s face as he pulled himself up. “Likewise. Teenagers got into trouble all the time, and you two were definitely no exception.”

“Heh…” Prompto lifted his head to look at the statues as well. Light was shining down on them from above, giving them an otherworldly and regal essence that would have also befitted them in life. He was amazed at how much the people who built it captured their likeness, but nothing could compare to the real thing. “I remember once in high school he fell asleep in class and I was sitting beside him, so I poked him to get him to wake up.” To his surprise, he started to laugh despite the sadness he was feeling. “I never saw him jump awake so fast in my life, but damn that was hilarious. The whole class was looking at us and we got in trouble with the teacher, but it was totally worth it.”

Ignis smiled fondly. “Yes, I remember that quite well. His father sent me to pick you both up from school before you got into even more trouble, yet you were still laughing about it when I arrived.”

“And then King Regis ordered me to give him an extra hour of training to make up for it,” Gladio said. “He may have complained a few times but he still managed to make it through that extra hour.”  
Before they knew it, they were spending their time there just sitting together and reminiscing about the past and everything they had experienced while Noctis was with them. They were smiling, crying, laughing, and remembering. Remembering all the good times and the bad times they shared together. Then for a moment they stopped.

They realized that this is exactly what Noctis would have wanted.

He would have wanted them to think about the good times they had instead of dwelling on the painful memories of his passing. They were still here together and sharing memories with each other, and that’s what really mattered. All of them were filled with a sense of warmth, as though Noctis was actually there and had come to join them for a brief moment. Noctis was still watching over them and they felt his presence and memory lingering within themselves. In that moment, everything was still and peaceful. Everything was as it meant to be.

“I love you guys.” They all opened their eyes and returned shocked yet warm and knowing expressions on their faces. They all heard Noctis’s speak to them in that instance, and everything was warm once again.

“We love you too,” they all responded, both verbally and mentally as his presence faded away once again. They stood together and faced their statues, once again bowing their heads and saluting them with pride.

“We still miss you Noct,” Prompto said softly. “We’ll always miss you. But we know you’re still looking over us and we couldn’t thank you enough for that.”

“To this day and forever on, we will remain to walk tall in your honor,” Ignis said as he put himself at ease. “Everyone will know of your story, and how you saved Lucis. You will not be forgotten.”

“He’s right Noct,” Gladio said. “We’ll make sure everyone knows what you did for the world. And how good of a person you were.”  
They all bowed before the statues once more before they turned to leave together, all with fond smiles on their faces from the new memory they gained by being there. The light remained shining over the statues until it faded with the night sky.

**Author's Note:**

> I would like to say here that I'm really glad that I discovered FFXV. I was in a dark place in my life emotionally when I first started watching playthroughs (because I couldn't afford the game or the console), but FFXV became a comfort series for me and now it's one of my biggest hyperfixations. This game carried me through those dark times and helped me regain a new sense of self and happiness and honestly I couldn't even began to say how grateful I am that this game exists. I've met so many wonderful people and became immersed in the fandom almost instantly, and now it's my absolute favorite fandom to be a part of.
> 
> Thank you FFXV, thank you FFXV voice actors and everyone who worked on the creation of the game, and thank you FFXV fandom, from the bottom of my heart, for putting a brand new light in my life and giving me the hope and willpower to move forward with my life and spread love and kindness to others, both in and out of the fandom. I'll be ever at your side, always.
> 
> This is probably the sappiest way of starting off my new account, but I'm saying it anyway because it matters. Happy holidays, Chocobros!


End file.
